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Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Serbia’s energy dilemma: How to break from Russia and save its stability
Serbia’s energy “decoupling” from Russia seems to be on the horizon. The Southeast European nation, long heavily dependent on Russian gas -- and, to...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Europe Should Regulate, Not Ban, Nicotine Pouches
As France moves toward banning nicotine pouches, it risks pushing users back to cigarettes or into unregulated and potentially harmful markets. Sweden, by contrast,...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Take a deep breath — the UK Budget is on its way
We have been softened up for what is going to be bad news, although no doubt there will be some sweeteners snuck in. So,...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
How Europe should avoid the fate of Ophelia
In her hit single “The Fate of Ophelia” Taylor Swift sings about the plight of the Shakespearean heroine and draws parallels with her own...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
When Will Ukraine Become the Outpost of European Defense?
The security landscape of the European continent hinges on the European Union’s determination to halt Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine and to prevent the...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Solidarity or strategic interest? Qatar’s role in the future of least developed countries
At the recent High-Level Meeting for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), held in Seville on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Fourth estate’s useful idiots: Cases from Albania in which international media should have known better
The cashless dreamThis July, a Politico Europe journalist texted me about comments regarding Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s recent statement that he would abolish...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The glitter is coming off gilts
Trust, confidence and expertise - these three words must be at the heart of the job description for any of the three high offices...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
When Drones Cross the Line
In the early hours of 10 September, a wave of Russian drones launched against targets in Ukraine crossed a dangerous threshold both literally and...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Central Asia: An Aladdin’s Cave of Critical Minerals
For most of the three decades since independence, the Central Asian “stans” and the countries in the Caucasus attracted little attention from western governments....
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Government and money
Autumn: a season of mellow fruitfulness, or of storms, shorter days and financially darker nights? Either way, it’s when Rachel Reeves’ next Budget is...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Summer food for thought: why Brussels needs a pro-business reset
The American author Charles Bowden once said that summertime is always the best of what might be. As the traditional European summer break approaches,...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Moldova: Engaging neighbors, not just Global powers
In this era of Great Power competition, or Cold War 2.0, there are a plethora of analyses and commentaries about evolving geopolitical affairs, including...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The Israel-Iran conflict in our perspective
In the Albanian public debate on the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, a prevailing notion has been the contrast between Israel, a democracy...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
How the arrest of a French politician carries lessons for Brussels
A French senator caught smuggling 22 kilos of tobacco in her suitcase should be a wake-up call for Brussels. But so far, the European...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
First, Sudanese Armed Forces use chemical weapons, strikes against civilians: now cholera compounds the misery
The determination of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to crush all resistance to its imposition of hegemony over all of Sudan, which has already...
Trade
Terrific or Terrible Tariffs with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice
There is a very good chance that most of you will have seen the Walt Disney’s animation film Fantasia, which came out in 1940,...
Agriculture & Food Security
Biosolutions can leverage nature to strengthen Europe’s resilience, food security and competitiveness
Biosolutions are built on nature’s smallest components but hold immense global potential. They can help Europe become more sustainable and resilient by reducing dependencies,...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
EU rules should not stifle entrepreneurship
In explaining the difference between hope and optimism, the author and Czech President Vaclav Havel stated that one is the conviction that something will...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
From shovels to shadows: The Soviet legacy behind Georgia’s authoritarian drift
In the early hours of April 9, 1989, Soviet paratroopers launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tbilisi, the capital of the then-Georgian...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
What chance for peace in Sudan?
The conflict in Sudan has raged for two years, causing immense human suffering, regional instability, arms proliferation and massive displacement of the population. South...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The ruling of the EU Court on “Golden passports” and the consequences in Tirana
“Whatever the European Court decides," and “If it says it can’t be done, we won’t do it; if it says it can, we will.”This...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Taking off: Qatar’s strategic rise in global aviation
For Qatar, an important development took place recently as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), approved the final phase of its own airspace, the...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The Geoeconomic Repercussions of Trump’s Tariff Pause: A Balkan Perspective
On April 2, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs under the banner of “Liberation Day”—a dramatic economic maneuver that reintroduced a 10...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Zeno’s Arrow and Albania’s membership in the EU
Recently, the position of the incoming German government coalition (government) between the CDU/CSU and SPD parties regarding the enlargement of the European Union into...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Back to the 1970s: Flared trousers and tank tops. Is this the result of Trump’s tariff tantrums?
There are somewhere some dreadful photographs of this author wearing what we all once thought were the height of fashion and style. Generally, that...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Does the EU really stand for its basic values in the Balkans?
The visit of the EU Enlargement Commissioner Ms. Marta Kos to Albania on March 13-14 seems to have been another failed opportunity for the...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Weaning Europe off its Russian gas addiction
The Viking hero Ragnar Lodbrok once said “don't waste your time looking back. You're not going that way.” The words of the former king...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Regional Water Forum in Brussels seeks sustainable solutions in the Turkic region
The Regional Water Forum - Brussels 2025, organized by the Drought Prevention Institute (DPI) of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the Hungarian...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The role of Ramadan in combating Islamophobia and promoting unity
Fasting during the month of Ramadan is less about refraining from food or drink and more to do with conducting a deep introspective assessment...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Tashkent’s busy diplomatic agenda
In the coming months, Uzbekistan will host high-profile summits between Central Asia with the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. As global geopolitics...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
A Code of Conduct for the HR Outsourcing sector
The quote - often attributed to Deng Xiaoping - runs that when you open a window you let in fresh air, but you also...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Tajikistan: The Battle for Middle Earth’s Resources
Tajikistan is a small land-locked country tucked away in southeast Central Asia. Its capital, Dushanbe, is almost equally distant, at approximately 4,500 kilometers, from...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Tariff Trouble in Trump Town
President Trump has had many a cartoon about him as a child throwing toys and anything to hand out of the playpen. Now, of...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The New Face of an Old Enemy: The renewed dangers of ISIS and al-Qaeda
A dangerous cocktail of indifference and complacency enabled al-Qaeda to evolve from a shadowy fringe network in the early 1990s into one of the...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Insights from the recent UN-Turkmenistan Dialogue on the International Year of Peace and Trust
The modern world stands at a crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges that range from political conflicts to environmental crises. At the heart of these issues...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Stock Market or Not Market
So, what is a market? Obviously, it is somewhere where you can buy and sell “stuff.” In a successful economy having a market to...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Transforming Central Asia from a frontier market to a stable investment
Central Asia is considered a frontier market. However, at least two of the five countries that constitute this region, namely Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
A Christmas Carol for the new European Commission
In the novel “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens it is noted that “there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Resources for the Common Good: New Taxation in Times of Crisis
Do you wonder whether the world is crumbling before your eyes? If so, you are not alone. The global human rights map is alarming:...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Europe’s Vaping Policy Needs Education, Not Heavy-Handed Bans
Europe’s vaping crackdown is about to backfire spectacularly. As countries across the continent gear up to ban disposable vapes and puff devices in an...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Starvation in Sudan
Aid workers have warned that one of the worst famines in decades could be under way in Sudan, a country in the middle of...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The Key Issue for a new Government
After 14 years in the political wilderness, the new UK Labour government could be excused for being somewhat rusty when it comes to running...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Maia Sandu’s slim win: Moldova struggles between Europe and tradition
The results of Moldova’s recent presidential elections and referendum are final. President Maia Sandu won a re-election bid, while a referendum to cement the...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Kazakhstan’s bold leap towards establishing an academic hub
The ConnectED 2024 conference, held in Astana on October 17-18, marked a significant milestone in Kazakhstan’s ambition to become a leading academic and research...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
How French Neocolonialism converges with Iranian terrorism
France raised one billion euros "for the people of Lebanon," with a declared goal “to provide humanitarian aid." French President Emmanuel Macron even made...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The complex politics of Caspian gas
For the countries bordering the Caspian Sea, gas has always been a major economic resource and, in most cases, one of the biggest contributors...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Strategic Partnership or Strategic Risk? France’s Deepening Ties with Qatar
It has recently marked the half-year anniversary since France and Qatar announced a strategic partnership that will see the emirate invest €10 billion into...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The 10 most significant consequences of climate change
The most significant threats of climate change in the year 2024 are of environmental, economic and social actions that could change significantly the way...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Development of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions: an integrative future vision
When the issue at hand is as significant as the integration between world religions in terms of shared values and collective thinking, it is...
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